legalize
verb
le·gal·ize
ˈlē-gə-ˌlīz 
legalized; legalizing
: to make legal
especially
: to give legal validity or sanction to
Examples of legalize in a Sentence
They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.
The government has legalized the use of the new drug.
Recent Examples on the Web
But in addition to liberalizing large-scale gold production, Ghana also legalized small-scale mining, which rose from just 5% of total output in 1991 to nearly 40% today.
—
Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
How many states have legalized weed?
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 14 Oct. 2025
Recreational marijuana has not yet been legalized.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 14 Oct. 2025
Among states that have legalized sports-bet apps, bankruptcies are up by 30,000 a year, per a USC-UCLA study still in progress.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legalize
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Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
How many states have legalized weed?
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 14 Oct. 2025
Recreational marijuana has not yet been legalized.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 14 Oct. 2025
Among states that have legalized sports-bet apps, bankruptcies are up by 30,000 a year, per a USC-UCLA study still in progress.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legalize
Cite this Entry
“Legalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legalize. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
legalize
verb
le·gal·ize
ˈlē-gə-ˌlīz
legalized; legalizing
: to make legal
wanted to legalize gambling in their city
Legal Definition
legalize
transitive verb
le·gal·ize
ˈlē-gə-ˌlīz
legalized; legalizing
: to make legal
especially
: to give legal validity or sanction to
legalization
noun
legalizer
noun
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